Media, such as magnetic tape, are frequently used for long-term storage of large quantities of data, such as in data backup or archiving operations. As more and more data are stored on media, users of such media may grow increasingly concerned that the data being stored is “good” (i.e., that the data has been successfully recorded on the media) so that it will be available for recovery and use at a later time. Users may thus periodically perform a verify step after data is stored or written to media.